She walked up the dust-coated steps that groaned beneath the pressure of her weight.

They spiraled up a high tower, reeking of mold and mildewed cloth. Discolored drapes clung to the cracked window, marking the halfway point. Through the holes in the worn and moth eaten fabric, beams of sparkling gold shed light on just how neglected the old castle was.

She slowly crept up, cautiously aware of the silvery cobwebs dancing beneath the glow of her flashlight. She had nearly reached the top, when she heard a muffled rustling above her. She froze, already on edge for mistrusting the staircase that cried out in agony with the lightest touch of her foot.

The noise began again, like a pet skidding across the floor in the dead of night.

“H-hello?” Her voice echoed throughout the rotting wood beams. The noise paused, momentarily, only to return. Instinct told her run. Run down the creaking staircase, across the dusty floorboards, out the main door, and as far away from this castle as humanly possible.

But another impulse was far stronger and more tempting. It pulled her up the remaining steps and to the attic entrance, towards whatever might be making that unsettling noise.

She slowly walked around on tipped toes, careful not to announce her presence so loudly. She knew she didn’t have the element of surprise, but regardless she wanted to exercise some sliver of caution.

All at once, she crossed the threshold, raised her light, and exclaimed- hoping to stun the intruder.

It stared back at her, with beady eyes and a twitching tail- frozen across the back wall of what appeared to be an old dungeon.

She lowered her flashlight and sighed in relief. It was only a chipmunk, scuttling across his makeshift home.

She went to turn, ready to explore what secrets might lie at the highest point of this castle- but face planted into the soft chest of a stranger.

She screamed and stumbled back, scaring away the woodland creature into a hole in the ground. Her light had slipped out of her hands, now rolling across the floorboards. She shuffled for it, straining her eyes against the darkness.

“Leave it!” A deep growl rumbled, shaking her into brief submission.

She opened her mouth to speak, but found it was suddenly dry and empty. The voice boomed once more, and she shuddered in response.

“What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” The bearer of it seemed to be talking through clenched teeth.

And though she gave much effort to respond, her tongue had seemed to betray her.

He asked again, and that seemed to snap her out of her trance- enough to scoot across the room to where her light had landed.

There was a scuffle, the owner of the voice charging after her. Her hands clasped around the handle, and she pointed it right into the face of….

It wasn’t a large man who stood before her, but a… a monster!

It was a creature with a face covered in fur, with reflective eyes and sharp tusks as large as her hand. He was still before her, just as she was before him.

Get out. A voice whispered inside the base of her skull. Get out! It grew louder. GET OUT! It cried, and she finally obeyed. She darted away from him, heading straight for the stairway.

She leapt down the steps, abandoning the caution she had exercised just moments prior during her ascent.

She could hear the monster calling out for her. The stairs wobbled beneath her, and suddenly gave in. She grasped the air as she fell with them; her stomach lurched as she plummeted towards certain demise.

Something caught the end of her sleeve, and immediately, she hung in the air. Her body swayed- until it crashed right into the far wall. And with a final, silvery spray of dust, she closed her eyes as the light faded away.

***

She wouldn’t wake up. And that was problematic. It brought to remembrance the one tale he wished he could forget. But, the memory of it seemed to be the only thing that he had left these days.

Dishes clattered in the distance, a stirring of whispers had fallen upon the broken household. They were all, no doubt, curious about the stranger who had invaded their secret corner of the world.

But unlike before, a sense of dread had fallen upon the ruins of his once so enchanted kingdom. They were terrified. And so was he.

For there hadn’t been an outsider in this hidden corner of the world for nearly three hundred years.

The girl finally stirred, and he couldn’t helped but think of how young she appeared. And how old and deadened he had become. As she peeled her eyes open, the minute they fell upon him, she leapt backward.

They sat in stunned silence, staring wondrously at each other- taking the other in. While she was a girl of barely twenty, he as a furry shadow of a man, trapped in a beastly, aching body.

He gritted his teeth as her breathing began to slow, becoming used to the sight of him.

“Let me guess,” she muttered after a slow, agonizing stretch of time. “You’re under a curse and need true love to break your spell?”

He pondered at how to respond- her rebellious, independent attitude caught him off guard. She did, after all, run away from him. Nearly killing herself and him in the process, though he had wished for that fate long ago.

“True love?” He snarled, angered at the mere suggestion. “So you wish to here that I am a prince, trapped in a hideous form, awaiting a pretty girl like you to sing and dance her way into my heart?”

His laugh quickly turned to a menacing growl. “She already came.” He jabbed a finger at his hardened heart. “Clearly, it didn’t work.”

***

Her curiosity, dangerous and deadly as it was, seemed intrigued enough to simply ask the ghastly man what he meant.

He flashed his teeth in a wicked grimace before indulging her in a tale that seemed as old as time itself.

He spoke to her of a maiden who sold her freedom so cheaply, for just a simple rose. She was kind, but stern. Frightened, yet bold. Foolish, and still cunning. He was mesmerized by the conundrum she was, and that led to the first sparks of a burning love unlike any other.

The flames began to fizzle when she left, promising to return. They were extinguished all together when she did… with an army by her side.

“Who could ever learn to love…” He couldn’t bear to let her finish, nearly dying there of a broken heart.

But his faithful servants stood by him, healed his outer body. They could never mend his heart though, he admitted. No one ever could.

When the tale was over, she noticed how gray his fur was. How worn and crinkled the pads of his paws were. How pained and dead his eyes were.

Beyond the tattered, terrifying shell, she could not help to see the old and broken man within.

She placed a hand on his palm, offering him a genuine smile, before breathing out heartfelt words of understanding sincerity.

“Well, that sucks.”

THE END

(what? You thought they’d fall for each other?! He’s over 300 years old!!! That’d be grosser than… Twilight. Sickos.)

The two big reasons for my long and arduous hiatus are that #1- I’m in the middle of PREPTOBER. Yes, this year I am crazy going for NANOWRIMO. I still have so much to do in preparation for writing my novel in a month, but I’m at least getting somewhere with it.

And the second reason why I took a break is just that. I needed a break. I’ve read nearly 100 books this year, including the Bible. And to be honest, I’m just so burnt out. I love Harry Potter, but I needed some space to just read some good and wholesome and relaxing books. Like, fellowshipping with Christy Miller and the gang, sipping on peppermint tea by candlelight.

And now that I’m back, and I’ve had my space… it’s time to make a few changes…

Which is why my entire focus will now be on my Bible Girls series and Fictional Fridays.

I am, of course, going to finish out HP on here because I’ve yet to find Christian reviews for it that aren’t biased on the magic.

So, with that all being said: let’s talk about today’s Bible Girl.

In these last few weeks, more and more have I felt the weight of the unknown. It’s heavy and stressful and definitely not the funnest thing to carry on your back throughout the day.

And so, as my thoughts have been directed towards the unforseeable future, it’s difficult not to feel anxious or nervous. Because EVERYTHING ABOUT THE FUTURE IS UNKNOWN.

Now you’re probably wondering what that has to do with Claudia. Well, that’s just it. There really isn’t anything we actually know about her.

Her name is among 3 others, at the end of 2 Timothy 4 (vs 21). It’s stated kind of like, “Do all your work before winter. Oh, and by the way, these people say hi”.

We can only assume that perhaps she was among the women Paul thought warmly of because of whatever her service to the Lord was. We don’t know how she served. It could have been in hospitality. Working with the poor. Maybe in a leadership position. Maybe just behind the scenes.

Whatever the case, she left some sort of positive impression on one of the greatest Christians this world has ever known. Enough so to make a cameo appearance in the Bible.

How awesome is it though, that God took the time before we were even born to individually write each and every one of our stories? We might be little extras in other’s lives, but we are uniquely the main characters in our own personal tales- penned by the greatest Author in the universe.

And so, in a world of so much uncertainty- I take comfort in the fact that I’ll know Claudia’s full story one day. Just like I’ll know mine.

And the point of it all is to just live this story out. Day by day. Page by page. All for the Author, Who’s not at liberty to give me spoilers just yet.

Besides, I don’t need to know every little thing. God knows all our once upon a times and happily ever afters in this life. And that’s good enough for me.

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

I love the Harry Potter books. Don’t get me wrong. Buuuuuut, for some reason I’m almost burnt out with reading this year….

So, don’t be surprised if I end up doing a surprise review next week on a book much smaller….

On to The Order of the Phoenix review….

Genre: YA Fantasy

Swearing: 5 h***, 4 d***, and 1 “effing” (exactly written like that, but you know what it’s hinting at)

Negative content: You know who is back. There’s some unfairness going all around. Harry feels quite abandoned, even by people once close to him. A new teacher inflicts cruel punishments on the students, including writing with their own… blood. There’s sneaking around behind adults, attempted murder, and murder. A little bit of mind control. And of course magic- both good and dark.

Sexual content: This book is where (spoilers) Harry gets his first date and smooch. But nothing beyond that. Because the boys in this story, in the words of Miss Granger, “have the emotional range of a teaspoon”

Kicking off things this week with the name of my future daughter, for sure, Dorcas. (Just kidding. I have something MUCH more crazy in mind.)

Her story can be found in Acts 9, verses 36 through 43.

It begins like this- in a town called Joppa there lives a woman named Tabitha. (AKA Dorcas) She’s a follower of Jesus known for doing good works throughout her community and giving to the poor.

And she got sick and died, so they washed her body and put her in a room upstairs. The people found out that Peter was staying in a town pretty close to where they were, so they sent two men to bring him over.

So Peter went with the men, and they brought him to the room where Dorcas lay. There were all of these widows crying and mourning over her. They showed Peter the clothing that Dorcas had made for them.

He then sends them away, kneels down and prays, and turns to the body- saying, “Tabitha arise”.

She opens her eyes, looks at him, and then sits up. He takes her hand and helps her up, before calling back in all the people and presenting her.

And the news of it spreads all throughout the town of Joppa, and many people came to know the Lord because of it.

Dorcas is a perfect example of the sort of life we should desire to lead as Christians. Her philanthropy and care for her community not only made her someone the people missed, but someone they looked up to.

I look at this passage in the Bible, and it makes me wonder what I’ve done to help others.

Certainly not enough.

Man. What a convicting little story this is! Now excuse me while I go learn to sow.

]]>https://ciaraheyjude.com/2017/09/26/the-famous-dress-maker/feed/0ciaraheyjudeblogIMG_0693.JPGHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixhttps://ciaraheyjude.com/2017/09/20/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix/
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Where have I been?

Well, I was taking a much needed break in the spirit of celebrating both mine and my husband’s birthday.

But now I’m back, finally, with the review for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Let’s get started-

Genre: YA Fantasy

Swearing: (unfortunately, the older Harry Potter gets the more cursing is used) 7 d***, 3 h***, and 2 uses of God in vain.

Here’s the bad news- I’m going to have to postpone The Goblet of Fire review. It’s just A REALLY LONG BOOK YA’LL. But I kind of have a surprise review, so be looking for that tomorrow.

Now, let’s get on with today’s second post of Bible Gals, or whatever I decided to call this series.

Okay, so here’s the thing about women in the Bible… a majority of them are known as only the daughter, mother, or wife of some guy.

Now I get that if the Bible went into detail about every single person ever mentioned… well, it’d be longer than it is now. (Uh duh.)

But I kinda wish there was some sort of unabridged version, or spin off series. I mean, it’s perfect the way it is… I’m just super curious as to what the lives of these other girls were like.

“Well, I guess you’re going to have to wait until you get to heaven” Ah ha ha ha. Seriously though, peoples in heaven, can you be, like, working on this? Thanks.

Sometimes though, we can almost read in between the lines.

Take for instance, Jerusha (or Jerushah). Her name literally only makes two appearances in the Bible, in quite similar verses:

“Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.” -1 Kings 15:33

” Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.” -2 Chronicles 27:1

The text introduces her as the mother of Jotham, king of Israel. She was the daughter of Zadok, a priest during the reign of David. And because Jotham’s father is stated as King Uzziah, we know that he was her husband.

Now you might see this and think, “cool story, bro. That’s it?” But there’s actually some reading in between the lines that we can do, that might shed a little light on who Jerusha was.

As the daughter of a priest, we can assume that she was most likely raised in a godly home. She married the King Uzziah, who is stated to have done “right in the sight of the LORD” (2 Chron. 26:4). He has many accomplishments in the 52 years he reigns and “his name spread far abroad“.

(Also, it was under his charge that those crazy war machines were made… you know, like catapults and the things that shoot tons of arrows. *see LOTR for better reference.)

There was a hiccup at the end, where he got a little too full of himself, burned incense in the temple (which was, like, a huge no-no), and then got lepresy and died…. but Isaiah deeply mourned his death. So, still good?

We then go on to 2 Chronicles 27, where Jotham is king and we’re introduced to Jersushah. There’s also a little jab at his father, Uzziah:

“And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the Lord. And the people did yet corruptly.” -2 Chronicles 27:2

I mean, that’s one solid burn. Like, “Jotham did right in God’s eyes, like his daddy…. BUT HE DIDN’T GO IN THAT TEMPLE THO!”

Anywho, I think seeing how both Uzziah and Jotham did right in God’s eyes (that temple tho!)- means that maybe Jerusha played a part in that.

Is it complete fact? No, of course not. But there’s a hope there that perhaps she had a godly influence in her husband’s and son’s lives.

So the whole world doesn’t know every single detail of her life? Big whoop. It’s easy to believe the high probability that she was an influence for good and not evil. If so, her “behind the scenes” actions, could have impacted a nation for the better.

What can I say? I’m hopeful!

So, here’s the lesson: the whole world doesn’t know you exist… you’ve got only 5 followers on whatever social platform… you’ve got only one friend IRL….

That’s okay. The important thing is just, be good. Do what’s right. Isn’t it worth it to just change one person’s life for the better? And you never know what sort of ripples choosing love and God can make!

The truth is always muddled with some sort of whim or another. And such can be told for the tale of young Jack and his magical beanstalk.

Jack was a simpleton, a boy who barely knew his own name- much less how to know if he was being conned. He couldn’t be blamed for the misfortune that would cost him his life. No, it was his mother’s fault.

She should have known better than to trust him with a task as important as trading their prized cow for a small fortune. For crosseyed, simple-minded Jack was met by a shifty street vendor, who was in desperate need of being rid of something.

“I’ll take your cow there, in exchange for this magical bean.” It wouldn’t have mattered if he had said a kidney bean, a lima bean, or any other ordinary bean- for Jack loved his beans.

“But alas,” The elder man whispered after they had made their exchange. “This is a special magic bean. Take caution young man.”

But Jack had scarcely heard the warning, for he was too excited as his hand closed around his new prize.

That evening, he carefully tucked his special bean in a sock before going to bed. His mother had been livid, but all he could dream of was what sort of magic would sprout through the bean.

The next morning, Jack awoke to a fright. He carefully reached for his precious bean, but low and behold…. it wasn’t there. In a panic, he tore his entire room a part. His mother walked in and gasped, furiously beginning to clean up after him.

“I done losted the bean, mama!” Her face began to turn from red to a deep, anguished purple. She opened her mouth to scream, but a knock interrupted.

She demanded Jack to answer, so he sauntered towards their front door. But before he could reach it, the large plank flew off it’s hinges and slapped against the farthest wall.

A voice bellowed, reverberating off the walls of their tiny cottage. The wind from it displaced their scarce furniture.

“H-hello?” It breathed.

Jack stepped forward, peering through the empty doorway. A massive eyeball, bigger than the boy’s head bore into him.

“A-are you J-Jack?” The boy nervously nodded.

“Oh, good!” The eyeball moved away, and Jack stepped forward and through the doorway.

“My name is Littleton,” Jack nervously shook the extended finger of the man. No, not a man. A giant.

He was a mass of baggy clothes, messy hair, and a wide, goofy sort of smile. Most people would find the sight of him frightening, for he had to be twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. But Jack, of course, was not most people.

He was more amazed than anything. “Pardon me for askin’, but are ya a real there giant, sir?” Littleton blushed a little, before shyly nodding.

“Well, what can I be helpin’ ya with, sir?” The giant put his hand in his deep pockets, before pulling out a crumbled piece of parchment, big enough to cover their entire little cottage.

“Am I correct in that yesterday, at midday, you traded a certain fat cow for a bean by this man?” He held up a perfect drawing of the vendor who had given Jack his precious bean.

“Why, ya’d be correct there, Mr. Littleton.” The giant frowned.

“Well, you don’t happen to still have the bean in your possession do you?” It was Jack’s turn to frown this time.

He relayed to Littleton that the bean had been lost to him just that very morning. They wallowed in silent disappointment for a brief moment.

The giant then let out a heartless sigh, blowing back the boy by a couple of inches. “I was afraid this would happen.”

“I be not quite understanding, sir. What is the magic bean and the man to ya?”

The giant rolled the paper into a ball and stuffed it back in his pocket. “Well, you see lad, the man you met yesterday visited with me before. And though he pretended to befriend me, he stole a dozen of my prized, nosy beans.”

“N-nosy beans?” Jack interrupted. The giant shrugged.

“Why yes, nosy. I’ve got plenty of sorts of beans growing. Ones that jump. Ones that cry. Ones that grow massive roots. Those are handy, as I do often like to come down here and see the tiny sorts like you.”

The giant then pointed over to the vast country hillside. There, in the path of his mountain of a fist, was a massive beanstalk reaching far above the clouds.

Jack was in more awe and bewilderment than he had been in his entire life.

“I’ve been searching for the man, to try and warn him about those pesky beans.” He crossed his arms. “You see, Jack, they really like to watch people. Observe them. It’s rather disturbing actually….”

“But it’s good you lost it, boy. For the best, actually. Do you wanna hear the funny part of all of this?”

Jack nodded eagerly.

“He could have had a treasure beyond his wildest dreams. It was right there under his nose.” He motioned for Jack to come closer, pulling another object from his pocket.

No, not an object. A bird- a goose, in fact. And she was as big as Jack.

“Bridget here is an enchanted goose. She lays solid gold eggs.” Jack began to laugh, thinking of the foolish old vendor who could have stolen the eggs and gotten more than a silly cow.

The boy and the giant became fast friends. Littleton never treated Jack as a simpleton, not once. Which is probably why he left his parents a basket of a dozen of Bridget’s eggs- setting off with his new friend to find the thief and warn him.

Though Littleton wasn’t completely honest. He did rather enjoy giving the vendor a fright, lifting him off the ground and flinging him over to the next kingdom.

Jack then went to stay with Littleton high above where the beanstalk ended, in giant country.

The villagers just assumed Jack had been eaten. It was easier to take, I suppose. And you might wonder how I could possibly know this.

Well, that’s easy. For I am the bean. Yes. I never left Jack, but simply was always there…. watching.

What happened to the inconsistency you’ve become accustomed to on this website?!

Here’s what’s up:

YouTube is NO MORE! Kidding, not really. Long story short, I’m reserving videos for special occasions. I wanted YouTube to be an addition to this site, and for the moment it’s just taking away from it.

Oh wells.

Here’s what else is up- since I now have that load taken off my back- I’m beginning a new series on Mondays.

“WHA-WHAT?!” You say. “FIRST FICTIONAL FRIDAYS AND NOW THIS!?”

To that I say…. OOOOOOOOH YEAH!

Now, and yes this is related, I’ve been researching women in the Bible for… a project

Not just your Esther’s and Ruth’s and Mary’s and Martha’s….

No- I’ve been actually researching ALL women who’ve made ANY appearance in the Bible, EVER.

(Oh, yes. It’s quite a long list. You can actually check it out here.)

During my research so far, I’ve uncovered stories of women from all walks and backgrounds- whose stories tend to be overshadowed by others.

Well, no more!

Today, I give you the first in my new series…. Bible Girls

Let’s get started-

We find our first group of women in the book of Numbers.

Now, in chapter 26, we’re given an introduction of sorts to these ladies. The verse begins with their father, Zelophehad, the great-great-grandson of Manassah. It states that he had no sons, but five daughters- Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. (vs 33)

Fast forwarding to chapter 27, and our story begins.

Zelophehad’s daughters came and stood by the door of the tabernacle, before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the princes, and all the congregation laying out the facts:

Their father had died. He had nothing to do with Korah or his followers. And he had no sons. (vs 1-3)

They then go on to make their request-

“Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.” (vs 4)

They were simply asking for what they felt was rightfully theirs- an inheritance from their father.

So, Moses then goes and presents “their cause” to God. And God is all like, they’re right. Give them the inheritance, man! (Totally paraphrasing)

Also, God commands Moses to speak with the rest of Israel saying that if a father dies without a son, his inheritance goes to his daughter. If he doesn’t have a daughter, then it goes to his brethren. And if he doesn’t have any brethren, then it goes to his father’s brethren. And if his father’s got no brethren, then it’ll go to his next of kin. (Phew)

Now, in those times… how rare was it for a group of unmarried women to band together and claim what was rightfully there’s? Pretty dang. In fact, history claims that these women would have had some sort of liaison, speaking on their behalf.

But here are these band of sisters, stepping before all the important leaders of their time. And what do they do? They say what they need to with honesty and are straight to the point.

They knew that they had a right to their father’s inheritance. That it was totally unfair for them to lose it, just because they weren’t of the male variety.

And as Moses went to the Lord to present their cause…. God completely agreed. “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right”, He said.

I think there’s such important lessons to be found in this little story.

#1 Speak up- When you know that you’re right, when you know the truth, don’t be afraid. Don’t keep it in. Speak up for yourself. And also, for each other. Us women need to band together, amirite?

#2 God Knows- We don’t get the whole picture of what went down after these bold women made their case. Chances are there were a few that laughed at them. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter because God’s word was final. He knew they were right.
And the same can be said for us. When we speak against injustice and the world laughs back at us… it doesn’t matter. God knows the truth. And we know who really gets the last laugh… (bad joke?)

We get an epilogue of sorts in chapter 36, when a bit of confusion goes around about the inheritance regarding marriage.

So God makes a new law that states that any woman who has an inheritance is to marry a man from her own family’s tribe, so the inheritance stays in the tribe and isn’t given to another. And if they were to marry a man from a different tribe, they’d then lose their inheritance.

Regarding the daughters of Zelophehad, God then says… “Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.”

And so, they do marry- “their father’s brother’s sons”. So yeah, basically their cousins. Which wasn’t weird then, like it is now. (Or whatever)

But I think the great thing to close on is this… “Let then marry to whom they think best.”

Some might get this pessimistic view that they didn’t want to lose their inheritance so they were forced to marry their cousins…. but I like to believe this means they married who they wanted to. That maybe they married for love and were able to keep what was rightfully theirs.

A “you can have your cake and eat it too” kind of moment.

But yeah, that’s all I’ve got. Until next week.

(Oh, and by the way… if this doesn’t make any sense… I blame the drugs. Aka Mucinex.)